How Well Do You Know Your Former Self?

When I was 13, I got my first email account. As a teen, my screen name was very symbolic and teen angst — Pyro 143, because I loved fire and I love you (that’s what 143 stood for on a beeper — I love you). I had this screen name for 8 years, but when I was 21 and starting out my career I decided to go with something more professional. I set up a new account and transitioned slowly.

So over the weekend, my account got hacked and emailed every contact I had ever emailed — friends, every job I ever applied to, and even a former county legislator (sorry to anyone who received an email from me telling you about products that make you skinny and/or erect). Totally worried that my privacy was being invaded, I went to change my password.

Truth be told. I had not changed the password on this account since I created it, but no worries. This is the first issue I ever had. So I’ll just change my password and move on.

Until the security question stumped me. There are only 2 or 3 questions I usually pick for this, but for some reason, I had gone off the normal path and posed this question: What is your favorite restaurant?

My favorite restaurant? From 7 years ago? Believe it or not, I actually knew the answer. There was only one possible answer — my favorite hang out, where I made so many friends and memories — so I typed it in. DENIED.

I was completely stumped. I know exactly the frame of mind I was in, the stage of life I was at when I was 21… or did I?

So I sat back and thought about it for a while. What else could it be? Was I trying to stump somebody and ended up fooling myself? Maybe it was a different restaurant? No, it couldn’t be.

And then it dawned on me. I had a nickname for that restaurant. That has to be it! And so it was.